From Mike Bomford, Exeter 382173, March 05, 2008

Devon County Council's Trading Standards Service is warning people to beware of an email scam in operation in Devon and possibly further afield.

The scam, emailed to Inboxes seemingly at random, tries to hook the reader by informing them that they have won £500,000 in a lottery promotion. It insists that to claim the money, recipients must respond within 15 days with personal information, including:

Full name; Country; Contact address; Telephone Number; Marital Status; Occupation; Company; Age.

Devon County Council's Fair Trading Manager, Peter Greene, said:

"This appears to be a scam. If anyone receives an email like this we advise them to delete it. Do not respond and do not give personal information to any source that you are uncertain of.  

"Information such as this can be used by fraudsters for identity theft purposes, and rather than winning thousands of pounds as hoped, people could actually lose money from unauthorised access to personal bank accounts.

"It's easy to get caught up and caught out by quick rich schemes like this, but really the only people getting rich are the fraudsters."

The Council's Executive Member for Communities, Cllr Brian Berman said:

"Scams like this are quite common, and ones that promise money wins or some other prize can be tempting. But people should beware and should not respond with any personal details."

Devon County Council Trading Standards Service is supporting the Regional 'Scamwise' campaign aimed at helping the public and local businesses to beat the scammers. More information can be found on the Devon Trading Standards webpages at <a href="file:///\\ds.devon.gov.uk\Docs\Exeter,%20County%20Hall\CExProject\Comms\Media%20%20PR\TRADING%20STANDARDS%202008\www.devon.gov.uk\tradingstandards">www.devon.gov.uk/tradingstandards</a>.

If members of the public want advice about what to do about a scam or need information and advice on a range of other consumer related matters, they can telephone Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

Notes for editors:

For further information contact Peter Greene, Fair Trading Team Manager, Devon County Council Trading Standards Service on 01392 382728 or 07890 540784.

Consumer Advice

The public can call Consumer Direct if they need advice about product purchase, resolving an issue or a dispute with a trader or retailer. They can also give advice before buying goods or paying for services. Consumer Direct is a national helpline offering clear, practical consumer advice and information on 08454 04 05 06, working in partnership with the Office of Fair Trading and Devon Trading Standards. Lines are open from 08:00-18:30 Monday-Friday and 09:00-13:00 on Saturdays, excluding bank holidays and public holidays. Alternatively people can visit the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

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